Subject: Biology



Subject: Biology

Benchmark: Hatshepsut and Deir el Bahri/

The Brooklyn Museum of Art Egyptian and Assyrian collection

Standards: 2A1, 4B1, 4B6, 4B7, S2a, S2c, S3e, S4d

TOPIC: Chemical Compounds of Life

MAJOR IDEA: Ancient Egypt had a complex agricultural system as well as a strong relationship with animals through their religion and everyday life. The compounds that make up all living things correlate to the rich organic life that can be viewed in the exhibits at the Brooklyn Museum of Art and through research in their learning center.

SUGGESTED AIMS:

○ How does our understanding of the chemistry of life differ from that in ancient Egypt?

○ What technology has helped us gain knowledge of the chemistry of life?

○ How are carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, proteins and enzymes related to ancient Egypt?

VISUAL EXAMPLES:

○ Brooklyn Museum of Art Egyptian and Assyrian Exhibit, which contains many examples of animal and agricultural life.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:

○ Review section 4-1 Biologically Important Compounds and list the four major types of organic compounds found in living cells. Research ancient Egyptians’ ideas about the substances around them. How did their ideas about the substances that make up living things differ from ours today? Discuss as a class.

○ In your notebook name organisms in ancient Egypt that used glucose as a source of energy. Describe the basic chemical makeup of carbohydrates. Explain dehydration synthesis. Define disaccharide, polysaccharide and polymer. List organisms in ancient Egypt that store excess sugar in the form of polysaccharides and describe how polysaccharides are used in these organisms.

○ Define the three common terms used for lipids in your journal. Research agriculture in ancient Egypt. In your journal name organisms in ancient Egypt that contain lipids.

○ Read Biology and You on page 69. Research the diet of ancient Egyptians. Do you think heart disease, weight gain and cancer was a concern in ancient Egypt? Discuss as a class.

○ Define the structure of proteins in your journal. Where are they found? In what organisms would you find proteins in ancient Egypt?

○ Explain the functions of enzymes in living organisms. Explain the effects of temperature, PH and enzyme and substrate concentrations on enzyme action in your journal. Describe how plants and animals use enzymes. What kinds of plants and animals were in ancient Egypt and how did enzymes function in them?

RESOURCES:

○ /research.html - This site contains images and descriptions of objects at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

○ Ancient Egypt Myths and Legends by Alain Quesnel. Cherrytree Books 1989.

Concise myths and legends that illustrate the spiritual beliefs of the ancient Egyptians including animals in ancient Egypt.

○ Ancient Egypt: an Educators Guide by The Egyptian Institute of Art and Archaeology. Memphis State University Memphis, Tennessee 1991.

Descriptions of agricultural products in ancient Egypt.

○ The Brooklyn Museum of Art Egyptian Gallery Guides: Animals in Ancient Egypt. Brooklyn Museum of Art Brooklyn NY 1994.

Description of animals in ancient Egypt in the Brooklyn Museum of Art collection.

HOMEWORK:

○ Read the Science, Technology and Society section on page 67: Scanning, Tunneling Microscope. How would the ancient Egyptians’ ideas about life and death have been affected if they had such an instrument?

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